Venetian blind holder



EQ L. M m

Feb. 23, 1960 2,925,861

J. C. LONG VENETIAN BLIND HOLDER Filed Aug. 16, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYj I Feb. 23, 1960 J. c. LONG 2,925,861 VENETIAN BLIND HOLDER Filed Aug. 16, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR BY M %%4,

l I ATTORNEYS Feb. 23, 1960 Filed Aug. 16, 1957 J. C- LONG VENETIAN BLIND HOLDER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ATTORNEY 2,925,861 VENETIAN BLIND HOLDER John C. Long, Charleston, S.C.

Application August 16, 1957, Serial No. 678,504 1 Claim. (31. 160-178) This invention relates to Venetian blinds and particularly to devices for flexibly holding the lower ends of the blinds against undesired movement to prevent slamming against the window frame and retain a light tight closure.

The usual suspended Venetian blind has no arrangement for preventing its bottom end from swaying and slamming in a breeze from an open window. Some blinds are provided with end pins adapted to hook under rigid fixtures on the sill but these are not satisfactory for all purposes because it is diflicult if not impossible to obtain and maintain the connection tight enough to prevent the blind from moving in the wind.

The present invention has for.;its .major object the provision of a retainer for and a Venetian blind assembly wherein the lower end of the suspended blind is resiliently held against undesired swaying and swinging.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel spring retainer for a Venetian blind or the like, this retainer being capable of several embodiments as will appear in the following description but each constituting a part fixed to the window sill and flexibly connected to the lower bar of the suspended blind, at each end of said bar.

Further objects of the invention will appear in connection with the appended claim and the annexed drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a Venetian blind with a spring retainer attached according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged generally perspective view of one corner of Figure 1 showing the invention;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view in section through the spring retainer and bottom bar of the blind;

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing an optional form of retainer;

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing an optional form of retainer;

Figures 6-8 are top, side and end views respectively of the retainer of Figure 5;

Figure 9 shows the Figure 5 type retainer adapted to coact with a recessed end blind bar;

Figures 10 and 11 show two other optional forms of retainers and attachment to the blind;

Figure 12 is a fragmentary view showing a clip type spring retainer embodiment;

Figure 13 shows a retainer like that of Figure 12 mounted to extend under the blind; and

Figure 14 is a fragmentary section showing another type of clip spring retainer and attachment.

Referring to Figures l-3, the usual Venetian blind 11 is shown mounted in window frame 12. The blind is of conventional construction wherein upper and lower rigid bars 13 and 14 are connected by vertical tapes 15 which attach to and control the position of slats 16 and as upper bar 13 is rocked about its horizontally disposed longitudinal fixed pivot axis all the slats 16 and bottom bar 14 are correspondingly rocked about parallel axes.

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A spring retainer 17 is attached at each end of bar 14 to resiliently hold position of the drawn blind.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the blind is lowered with bottom bar 14 near the window sill 18. The opposite ends of bar 14 and the spring retainers 17 are identical. Aligned bores 21 are formed at opposite ends of the longitudinal central axis of bar 14, preferably lined with metal insert thimbles 22.

Retainer 17 embodies a vertical axis wire coil spring 23 seated at its lowerend on the sill and afiixed to the sill as by a headed fastener 24 in the form of a screw or nail passing through a reduced end coil 25 of the spring. The upper end of retainer 17 is an upright arm 26 bent at about right angles toward the end of bar 14 to provide a lateral arm 27 extending within the bore 21. Preferably the arm 27 ends in a spring loop 28 of such size as to slidably frictionally enter thimble 22 and be compressed therein so as to form a spring pivot coupling therewith.

Thus when the blind is in lowered position arms 27 may be inserted into opposite bores 21 and retainers 17 resiliently anchor the blind against swaying and slamming in the wind. The spring retainers provide flexibility of connection in all directions so that they are easily snapped into the bar 14 without any precise juggling of the height of bar 14 above the sill. Spring retainer 17 is a combined tension, torsion and beam spring. The bottom bar 14 may thus be held tight and flush with the sill 18 regardless of how it is turned, and the retainer has suflicient resiliency to adapt itself to different sizes and dimensions of parts.

Figure 4 shows a different type of retainer 30 which is in the form of a bent flat steel or other metal flexible spring leaf having one end anchored to sill 18 as by screws 31 and the other end consisting of a lateral arm 32 terminating within thimble 22 of the bottom blind bar 14. The end of arm 32 within thimble 22 is preferably looped or otherwise formed to provide a friction tight resilient coupling therewith as in the earlier embodiment.

Figures 5-9 illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention using a coil spring retainer 33 adapted to coact with the usual longitudinally centered headed fixed pins 34 found on lower bars 14 of some Venetian blinds, or with the recessed end bars of Figures l-4.

This retainer comprises a length of spring wire intermediately coiled at 35 and lying on the sill 18 on a horizontal axis. At one end of the wire extends away from coil 35 and then about parallel to it to provide a hinge arm 36 clamped under a clip 37 secured as by screws 38 to the sill.

At the other end of coil 35 the wire extends as an upright arm 39 formed at the end with a partially closed loop 41 adapted to pivotally hook over the associated pin 34. Thus the lower end of the blind is here resiliently anchored to the window frame.

Referring to Figure 9, where there are no pins 34, the bores 21 and thimbles 22 are provided, and arm 39 is formed as shown in Figure 9 and in dotted lines in Figure 8 so that loop 41 instead of being a hook engages with thimble 22 to provide a resilient friction coupling as in Figure 3.

In the embodiment of Figure 10 the retainer 42 is a flat preformed leaf spring having one end anchored as by rivets 43 to the sill and the other end an upright arm 44 having a keyhole type slot with a large portion 45 adapted to slide over the head of pin 34 and a smaller portion 46 moved into engagement with the shank of pin 34 by the resiliency of the spring. Figure 11 shows a more flexible similar embodiment consisting of a leaf spring 47 that is anchored at 43 at one end and normally flat with the sill as shown in dotted lines, but which is flexible enough to be readily bent up to the solid line 3 position of Figure 11 where the keyhole slot 45, 46 hooks onto the associated pin 34 as in Figure 10.

The embodiment shown in Figure 12 and 13 is a two part spring retainer assembly wherein at each end of the bar 14 provided with end pins 34 a strip of stiff spring metal 48 has one end fixed as by screws 49 to the sill and its free end is curled over to provide an open socket at 51. An intermediate integral portion of strip 48 is cut out on three sides and curled toward the fixed end to provide a spring hinge element 52. A second strip of spring metal 53 has an upturned end section 54 formed with a keyhole slot 50 to interfit with pin 34, and its other free end is disposed within socket 51. Strip 53 has a cut-out intermediate area 55 through which extends the spring hinge 52, and the edge 56 of 'hinge52 has bearing engagement with the top surface of strip 53, a suitable transverse recess 57 being there provided as ,desired.

In operation, strip 53 is effectively pivoted at one end in socket 51 and attached at its other end to pin 34 with the spring hinge 52 providing a fulcrum over which the spring strip 53 is stressed to resiliently hold the lower end of the blind.

Figure 14 shows another plural part spring retainer assembly wherein a metal strip 58 has one end fixed to sill 18 as by fasteners 59 and is bent upwardly and lateral- 1y to provide a horizontal hinge portion 61 above the sill. A second metal strip 62 has one end 63 bent laterally to extend into thimble 22 of the lower blind bar 14 and its other end bent to provide a hinge portion 64 closely parallel to hinge portion 61.

A transverse hinge pin 65 is seated between parallel grooves 66 and 67 of the hinge portions, and a C-shaped spring strip 68 has its opposite edges seated in parallel hinge grooves 69 and 71 and extends freely through suitable intermediate apertures in the hinge portions 61 and 64.

In this assembly the spring hinge construction maintained by spring 68 efiectively resiliently holds lower bar 14 of the blind against undesired movement.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrated and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended'claim rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claim are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

A retainer device for retaining each end of the lower bar of a suspended Venetian blind assembly against swaying and swinging movements consisting of: a one-piece relatively stiff coiled wire spring having one end formed with a length of wire bent out of the coil and anchored in engaging relationship to a window frame portion below said lower bar and having the other end bent out of the coil extending substantially parallel to saidframe portion and terminating in a loop, said loop being received in a recess formed in the end of the bar in frictional engagement with said bar to resist movement of said bar away from said loop and to resiliently restrain side and endwise movement of said bar in either direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Reed 'Feb. 14, 1950 

